ATSU, Special Olympics Arizona unite to host Patriot Day
Posted: September 17, 2015
A.T. Still University (ATSU) and Special Olympics Arizona partnered to commemorate 9/11 through Patriot Day, a national day of service, and an opportunity for more than 200 athletes to receive free sports physicals on the Mesa campus.
“We shall never forget. We shall remember this special day – we will keep the events and the tears in our minds, our memory, in our hearts as we carry on,” said ATSU-Arizona School of Health Sciences Dean Randy Danielsen, PhD, PA-C, DFAAPA, during the opening ceremony.
Nearly 400 faculty, staff, students, and community members attended the event, which was directed by ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences’ Jim Farris, PT, PhD, chair, department of physical therapy, and Gerry Keenan, MMS, PA-C, associate professor, department of physician assistant studies. The City of Mesa Police Department and Olympic gold medalist Misty Hyman also attended to show their support.
Athletes from around the Arizona – as far as Payson – made the trip to Mesa for the exclusive Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® event, a health outreach initiative offering health services and information to athletes in need. The event at ATSU marked the first stand-alone Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® event hosted by any medical university nationwide.
“Providing care for Arizona’s wonderful Special Olympics athletes while serving our community on Patriot’s Day, a national day of service, resonates deeply with our University’s mission,” said ATSU President Craig Phelps, DO, ’84.
Under the supervision of faculty and staff, students from ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, and Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health worked together in interdisciplinary teams to provide sports physical examinations to athletes.
“It was incredible to take time as a community to remember of the heroic acts and sacrifices thousands of people made on 9/11,” said first-year athletic training student Luke Beermann. “Then coming together with members of other ATSU programs to provide services to such special individuals with bright, infectious personalities, made the day of service that more memorable.”
Stations included medical history, height and weight, blood pressure evaluations, musculoskeletal testing, orthopedic testing, abdominal examinations, cardio respiratory testing, abdominal evaluations, as well as dental screenings and hearing examinations.
Hyman signing autographs and greeting arriving athletes.
“It was really important for me to be there, and I am really proud to be associated to the University,” said Misty Hyman, spokeswoman of healthy lifestyles and oral health initiatives at ATSU. “There is an important reason why sports are such a great part of our society — it’s because sports are one of the best illustrations of human potential.”
Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® ensure participants are fit and healthy to participate in the hundreds of games hosted by Special Olympics Arizona each year. In October, more than 1,000 athletes, partners, and coaches will look forward to the State Fall Games, a statewide competition held at the culmination of each sports season.
Visit ATSU’s Facebook page for more photos of the event.